{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lujan-shares-doj-documents-regarding-dea-fentanyl-practices-whistleblower-reports/", "Luj\u00e1n Shares DOJ Documents Regarding DEA Fentanyl Practices, Whistleblower Reports", "2026-09-30", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n", "L000570", "www.lujan.senate.gov", "lujan", "https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "June AP Report Found that DEA Allowed Mass Amounts of Fentanyl Pills onto New Mexico Streets\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, shared the following documents for New Mexicans to read for themselves regarding the Drug Enforcement Agency\u2019s (DEA) fentanyl practices.\n\nSenator Luj\u00e1n led the N.M. Delegation calling on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to expand its review of federal fentanyl investigations to examine Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) practices dating back before 2024, with a specific focus on the DEA\u2019s fentanyl practices in New Mexico.\n\nFollowing the Associated Press report that the DEA allowed fentanyl pills onto New Mexico streets, Senator Luj\u00e1n has been briefed by DEA and DOJ officials and continues to press the federal government for more information to be released to the public.\n\nThe following documents are available through the U.S. Department of Justice website:\n\nNovember 2023: New Mexico DEA agent files complaint\n\nA New Mexico DEA agent filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that federal prosecutors had discouraged or prevented agents from stopping suspected fentanyl shipments during investigations, allowing large quantities of fentanyl to reach New Mexico communities.\n\nDecember 22, 2023: Office of Special Counsel (OSC) refers allegations to DOJ\n\nThe OSC found the allegations serious enough to require a DOJ investigation. OSC said there was a \u201csubstantial likelihood\u201d that the alleged conduct could involve violations of rules, abuse of authority, or a danger to the public.\n\nLink: https://www.osc.gov/~assets/cases/osc-file-no-di-24-000207-referral_redacted.pdf\n\nSeptember 3, 2024: DOJ investigation rejects allegations\n\nDOJ\u2019s Office of Professional Responsibility found no misconduct, finding that prosecutors and agents have discretion to let suspected drugs move rather than immediately seize them. It found the specific decisions it reviewed were reasonable under DOJ policy.\n\nLink: https://www.osc.gov/~assets/cases/osc-file-no-di-24-000207-agency-report.pdf\n\nSeptember 17, 2024: Whistleblower disputes DOJ\u2019s findings\n\nThe New Mexico whistleblower rejected the conclusions by the DOJ, arguing that important evidence was omitted from the report and that the authorities could have stopped the drugs without compromising larger investigations. He said that hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills were allowed to be distributed.\n\nLink: https://www.osc.gov/~assets/cases/osc-file-no-di-24-000207-whistleblower-comments_redacted.pdf\n\nSeptember 4, 2025: OSC closes review\n\nAfter reviewing DOJ\u2019s investigations and the whistleblower\u2019s objections, OSC told President Trump that DOJ\u2019s report met the legal requirements and that its findings \u201cappear reasonable.\u201d OSC accepted DOJ\u2019s conclusion that the allegations were not substantiated.\n\nLink: https://www.osc.gov/~assets/cases/osc-file-no-di-24-000207-letter-to-the-president-redacted.pdf\n\nJanuary 2026: DOJ Inspector General flags broader fentanyl challenge\n\nDOJ\u2019s Inspector General warned that chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl remain a major enforcement problem. While fentanyl-related substances have been scheduled, precursors, pre-precursors, and \u201cpre-pre-precursors\u201d remain unregulated, and the Inspector General said DOJ should pursue additional legislation and enforcement resources.\n\nLink: https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/TMPC-2025.pdf\n\n###", 1, "2026-10-01T11:23:28Z", "2026-10-01T11:25:15Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lujan-shares-doj-documents-regarding-dea-fentanyl-practices-whistleblower-reports/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9034178219735622, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}